Month: November 2016

Small business marketing is frequently the responsibility of the owner or manager. I have just finished my first ever time to run promotions for Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, etc. We have had them before. I just wasn’t in charge of them. I am not at all sure I did it well. But I did it and that is a thing to be proud of.

Being a business leader means I have to do things I am not 100% comfortable doing. I remember the first time I got in front of a tv camera. I was SWEATING! But it was free publicity for my business and they wanted to talk to someone with skin in the game. I was very excited that they called me. I had been courting the station to some degree for a few months. Watching as many news shows as I could and sending in email comments about news items that related to my business. I had a childcare center in downtown, so it wasn’t hard to find things that were relevant. Anything that had to do with downtown, children or families was liable to get a quick note from me. This was well over a decade ago, so they weren’t as swamped by email as they are now. I stood out, so I got a call and people heard about my business.

How do we stand out in today’s market? Sending an email is unlikely to do it. We all get far too many to count now. We need clients to know we are here and are relevant. We can advertise. Lord knows, I do. Everybody does. How much do you believe in the ad copy you read or hear every day? 10%? You may be conveying 100% true information, but people filter it out. Marketing is more than buying a well executed google ad. It is getting in front of people in different settings, so your customers start to know like and trust you.

How do you position your self as a knowledgable and likable person? Getting on the local news might still be a good way to get noticed, but how do you get the news to notice you? I have had some success with hand written notes. They are the rarity now that email was back in the dark ages. Tweeting images also has some traction. You have to engage with them, build a relationship.

I help a lot of my clients get into the paper. Local papers need local content to stay relevant. Having a great event that highlights a worthy cause or brings in dignitaries, is the key strategy there. The images you send also play a central role. Make sure you send both portrait and landscape pictures, because you never know what space they need to fill. Your write up of the event should be as close to newspaper copy as you can make it. The less work the editor or beat reporter has to do, the more likely you are to get in the paper.

The other time-tested way to get in front of your audience in a marketing capacity to build rapport is public speaking. Half of you are shaking your head right now. That is OK. If there isn’t anything related to what you do that you can speak passionately about for 15 minutes you are excused. Everyone else is still in this. If you would rather poke your own eye out than talk to people you don’t know, then don’t talk to people you don’t know. Talk to people you do know. Do you have a book club, mother’s group, gaggle of gals you eat cheese cake with? Those are your public. Talk to them about your passion for your work. Get comfortable with it. Eventually one of those friends will say, “Hey, my friend Suzie was just talking about her problems in that area. I need to put you in touch with each other.” Voila. Your marketing just worked! Once you have done that a few times you might be ready to move on to networking events. I wrote about those on my other blog, TexasDirectorblog.com.

This type of marketing is much more in my comfort zone than running advertising campaigns. That is why it was my turn to run one. I had to stretch my wings. It may take a while, but I will get the hang of it. I may never like it, but it is important that I know how it is done so that I can talk intelligently with my team who focus on that area and with clients who have marketing challenges. Let me know about something new you have tried and how it worked. I look forward to hearing from you!

Being a leader is stressful. We all have days that are considerably more challenging and stressful than others. Unfortunately, stress is hard on both your mind and body. The holiday season tends to increase stress and tension.

Too many high stress days can really take its toll. And what’s worse, you could even become so used to being in this “high state of alert” that you start to feel like it’s normal! Don’t let this happen to you. Your family and business need you. More than that, you should take care of yourself, before you take care of others. As they say during the preflight when you fly, “Put your mask on first, before helping others.”

It’s important to develop some techniques that help you relieve stress and strengthen your self-soothing abilities.

When you’re struggling to stay calm, relaxed, and focused, try some of these strategies:

Breathe deeply. Breathe in for 5 seconds and hold it for 5 seconds. Now exhale for 5 seconds. Do this 10 times and focus only on your breathing. These breaths should only be slightly larger in volume than a normal, relaxed breath. Takes less than a minute.

Take a walk. Practice the breathing technique above during your walk, focusing on your breathing, walking, and surroundings.Nothing else should enter your mind. If your mind insists on wandering to non-productive thinking, you might have to simply keep repeating, “Taking a step”to yourself over and over. It will quiet your mind.

Get some exercise. Any time of day is a good time to exercise. Comfortably tired is what you’re looking for. Work out your frustrations by going for a run or swim. Hit the weights and show them who is boss. Any exercise will do as long as there is some intensity involved. Shuffleboard isn’t going to cut it. I suggest keeping a pair of hand weights or yoga bands in your office.

Sit outside. A little time in the yard or park can work wonders. Find a relaxing spot with pleasant scenery. Pay attention to what’s going on around you and keep your mind off your challenges. Talk to the squirrels. Even 10 to 15 minutes can greatly reduce your stress.

Take a day off. Everyone needs a break once in a while. The business will NOT burn to the ground if you are gone for a day. However, on your day off, it’s important to avoid just sitting around and brooding about all of your current difficulties. Take your mind off of things and have some fun. Lose yourself in activities that you enjoy.

Read. Find something engrossing to read. The ideal book would be able to take your mind off of things for a few hours. Ask your friends for some recommendations, or if you’re like most people, you probably have a couple of books on the shelf that you’ve never gotten around to. Now is the perfect time to read it. If you need a suggestion, give me a shout and I will be happy to set you up with a few good reads.

Listen to music. Again, it should be something engrossing that really captures your attention. Don’t be afraid to get up and dance; no one is watching anyway.

Disconnect. No phone and no computer. Turn off everything that connects you to the outside world. Then you can really relax. Stay offline for as long as you can.

Take a nap. There’s no better way to start over than to take a nap.When you wake up, it feels like another chance to start your day over. What happened before your nap is in the past! Now you can deal with it and move on.

Hang out with people that are fun. Get the gang together and meet for a movie or a drink. Have dinner with the friend that always makes you laugh. It’s easy to get caught up in our own little world. Being with others can jolt you out of that perspective.

Don’t let high stress get you down. The key is to actively do something about it.Some people develop a habit of being paralyzed when things start going sideways, but this does nothing to make you feel better or solve your stressful issues.

Actively relax so you’ll be better able to tackle your challenges. Use these tips to minimize the pressure and anxiety you’re feeling and take control of yourself and the situation. Dealing with your challenges effectively is crucial to living the peaceful life you deserve.

I would love to send you a checklist for building Holiday Memories the Stress-Free Way, just enter your information below.